INTRODUCTION
1 Peter teaches Christians how to endure suffering. Where we might be tempted to shy away from suffering by simply blending in with a culture that despises Christ, Peter exhorts us to embrace what the world deems madness. The wisdom of this world is like stumbling around in the dark. But Christ has led us out of darkness and into marvelous light.
THE TEXT
1 Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, 2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: 3 If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. 4 To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, 5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. 6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. […] 1Peter 2:1ff
SUMMARY OF THE TEXT
As the New Israel, brought into being by the potent Word of Jesus, it is imperative that the saints conduct themselves righteously, setting aside deeds of uncleanness (v1). As an infant craves its mother’s milk, so saints are to desire the Word, because they’ve tasted and seen that the Lord is gracious (vv2-3, Cf. Ps. 34:8). They have come to the Lord Jesus as a stone upon which to build, even though Old Israel had judged this stone as an unsuitable foundation stone. But God has spoken otherwise, ordaining this stone upon which to build His new temple (v4). Since these believers had trusted in Jesus, they are also identified with Him. They are living stones to be used to build a temple in which to serve God (v5). The OT citations pile up to prove Peter’s point. Christ is the foundation stone Isaiah foretold (v6, Is. 28:16 ). For those who entrust themselves to this stone, they will find Him steadfast and precious, whereas those who reject Him will find themselves continually stumbling over this stone (vv7-8, Ps. 118:22, Is. 8:14). In contrast to those tripped up by Christ, believers are set apart as a royal and priestly nation, and as such are to behave accordingly, unlike Israel had done (v9, Ex. 19:5-6). This is also what Hosea foretold: God would, by His tender-mercies, give the new name of “My people” to those who were once named “not My people” (v10, Hos. 2:23).
Once more, Peter admonishes them, since they are now citizens of this heavenly kingdom, to live according to their King’s law. Holiness is the true subversion (vv11-12). For the rest of this chapter and well into the next, Peter argues that this holiness will be most clearly displayed in how they conduct themselves in the face of severe mistreatment. First, they are to submit to the ordinances of kings for the Lord’s sake; they will most certainly be mistreated, but it should be due to righteousness, not due to smashing mailboxes (vv13-17). Peter commences to give household instructions. But he starts where others would end: servants (v18). Servants should serve their masters well, even abusive tyrants (v18). There is breathtaking glory in enduring injustice patiently (vv19-20). These servants, oft abused, are to model their service on the example of Jesus, who was the suffering Servant (v21).
Jesus did no evil and spoke without guile (Ps. 34:13). Despite this, He was reviled and put through severe suffering. Nevertheless, He trusted that the judgements of God are pure and right always (vv22-23). Christ’s example of righteously enduring unjust suffering is displayed in His crucifixion, where He bore our sins as His own, healing our wounds by His own (v24, Is. 53:5). We were straying sheep (Is. 53:6), but are now gathered by Christ the true Shepherd and Overseer of our souls (v25).
THE LIVING STONE
Peter gives us term for Christ we don’t find elsewhere in Scripture. Simon (reed), the one whom Christ renamed Peter (rock), now returns the favor and honors the Lord with the striking title of Living Stone. Abraham discerned afar off a heavenly city that God was going to build through him (Heb. 11:10, 16). Of old, Jacob prophesied that the Messiah would be ‘the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel’ (Gen. 49:24). David’s Psalms describe Israel’s God as a rock and refuge (Ps. 18:2; 31:2–3; 62:2). Daniel foretold a stone that would grow into a mighty mountain filling all the earth (Dan. 2:34–35, 44–45). Ezekiel foresaw a restored temple (Ez. 40–48).
Christ is the foundation of all God’s work of redemption. Christ is the stone which God has chosen upon which to build His end times temple; a temple made of people. Those who come to Christ, those who look to Him in faith, gladly enduring suffering like He did, are themselves made living stones with which God will construct His temple. Christ’s life of obedient service to His Father not only exemplifies how you should conduct yourself, but also enables you to do so. Faith in Christ writes you into the story of Jesus which God is telling. However, those that reject Christ find Him to be a striking stone. A stone that crushes them. A stone that makes them stumble and fall. No matter what, you will experience Christ as a stone. For those redeemed by His Gospel Word, Christ is a precious cornerstone that turns us into living stones as well. By this we are included in the habitation God is building for Himself. For those who reject this Word, the stone is experienced as a perpetual stumbling block. He is a stone that is alive. This is what His resurrection means. The construction of God’s house will be built upon Christ who died but now lives forevermore. The resurrection of Jesus is the foundational and inescapable truth of the recreation of this world.
OUR NAME
Now, this just so happens to be the text which principally inspires the name of our church. We selected this name in order to set this vision before us. God has elected Christ as the Living Stone whereby He will build a house for His glory to dwell in. As we trust in Christ, we form the walls, pillars, floors, and bulwarks of this temple erected for the Living God to dwell in. Selecting this name for our church sets a vision before us of a long-term building project that is founded on Christ and Him alone. From the quarry of sufferings, God carves stones of faithful saints. Such saints have gone before us, and we are laid next to them even as they were laid down in alignment with the foundation Stone. We also trust that when our fleeting days on earth are done, that God by His grace will continue this building until every nation, tribe and tongue joyfully worships in this temple which God is building. Thus, this name puts before us our connection to Christ and all the faithful saints that have gone before while compelling us to lift our eyes, by faith, to a glorious future. A future where our children’s children will also be set in these glorious walls of Zion, until this city fills all the world. But make no mistake, the Living Stone, which is Christ, is inescapable. The world must be brought to either come to Him in faith, or be stumbled by Him at every turn. What cannot be done is set this stone aside. That is what we as a church aim to believe and live out.
SUFFERING INJUSTICE
One of the most difficult things for us to do is to endure wrong treatment from others. We think it is our right to get back at those who harm us, abuse us, or mistreat us. But Peter wants us to look at the ultimate indignity and injustice of Christ’s sufferings to embolden us to suffer well. Looking in true faith to Christ really does change us. Looking to the wounds of Christ, really does heal our woes.
We must be careful here and couple this what Scripture teaches elsewhere about righteous opposition to tyrants. However, it is a remarkable thing when a Christian is faced with lionlike tyrant. This tyrant may be a king, a spouse, a parent, a pastor, or a boss. First, you must face such tyranny as Christ did: trusting that God will judge righteously. This demands that your faith must not be principally in earthly courts of justice, but in the final court of God’s judgement. As David said in Psalm 34, “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are attentive to their cry (Ps. 34:15).” Secondly, by not returning evil for evil you are in fact, like Christ, becoming a greater condemnation to your persecutors. They must either repent and reconcile, or face an even greater judgement for continually abusing the innocent. Again from Psalm 34, “The face of the LORD is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.[And] Evil shall slay the wicked (Ps. 34:16, 21a).”
SUBVERTING THE WORLD
To trust in Christ, to walk as His royal priests during our earthly sojourn, to conduct ourselves as He did, to build our life upon the Living Stone of Christ and so be used as living stones ourselves is utterly insane to this world. But, like David’s madness in the courts of Achish, what might appear to be madness in the eyes of the world, is how God delivers us. How were you saved from your sins? By the sinless One taking them as His own. How do you subvert tyrants? By enduring their assaults without responding to their sin with your own sin. What should you build your life on? A Living Stone that worldly wisdom rejects.
After all, God’s plan to overthrow all tyrants and bring them to judgement is to let tyrants cruelly kill the Messiah. And then raise the Messiah to life again in order that He might ascend as their judge. The suffering Christ has subverted the world’s wisdom, and calls us to do the same by living as He did.